In Tokyo, University History Professor Satoshi Nakano says Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko’s planned visit to the Philippines comes at an important time.
He said “apart from the intentions of the emperor and empress, their choice to visit the Philippines this time may have political implications because the situation is such that Southeast Asian countries expect the United States and Japan to play significant roles, particularly in their relations with China.”
Beijing claims almost all the south china sea, which is believed to have huge deposits of oil and gas, and through which about 5 trillion dollars in ship-borne trade passes every year, and has been building up facilities on the islands it controls.
Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines also have claims.
Speculation is rife that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is using the royal family to build stronger ties with the Philippines to counter china’s claims.
The Philippines and Japan are discussing the transfer of military equipment, like surveillance planes and patrol boats; to help strengthen the Philippines’ capability to guard its maritime borders as china rapidly expands.
Japan has also made available about 2 billion dollars for roads and railways to upgrade the Philippines’ dilapidated infrastructure and untangle traffic gridlock in the capital.